Someone Like You
by WelcomeToLolaLand
Summary: He made the question that condemned them. She had said yes. But the truth is, she was not ready for it. Four years later she has to deal with the consequences of her choice.


** Someone Like You**

**Hey! So I'm back with another story written for a Hogwarts Online II challenge, "The Songfic Challenge". The song that inspired me to write this one-shot was "Someone Like You" from Adele, a lovely but really sad song. **

**This is my second Dramione, one of my favorite pairings, and I'm really satisfied with the result. Hope you'll like it!**

**Here I give you the link to the song h ttp : / / www . youtube . com / watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0  (just remove the spaces), I'll indicate you when you have to hit play. **

**Thanks to my beta _Slytherin Head_ for helping me with this crazy idea of mine ^^!**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the crazy ideas.**_

* * *

She gazed through the window of her compartment. It was raining. She smiled. That was something she had missed while living in Paris. The smell of rain and wet grass, she just loved it. It brought back memories of drinking hot chocolate and reading a good book in her cozy bed. She sighed. It had been four years since she left, and now she was back for her best friend's wedding. She was excited because she was going to see her family and friends but, she was also afraid because she was going to see him.

_She decided to follow the career of a Healer. The best school, Florence Nightingale's University, was in Paris. So, she packed up and left. But he had followed her. At first he was angry because she left without saying good-bye, not even a note, but she knew he was going to try to stop her and convince her of not leaving. And he did so. He tried to take her back, but finally understood that she needed to follow her dreams. So he decided to move in with her. _

_Everything was perfect at the beginning; of course, they were living in the city of love. They visited the museums, took walks in the parks, boat rides in the Sein, had dinner at pretty and expensive restaurants, came back to their apartment and made love until they were exhausted, and finally, fell asleep in each other arms. But it couldn't last forever. School was getting harder; she had to stay until very late at night, doing assignments and lab practices. When she arrived home, she was really exhausted, he wanted to go out, to be with her, but all she wanted to do was sleep. Sometimes, she arrived and he was already asleep on the couch, waiting for her. They barely saw each other. A year had passed and their relationship was deteriorating already._

_One day when she got home, a surprise was expecting her. He had made a romantic dinner for them. They ate, chat, drank wine and laugh like in good old times. She stared into his eyes, those gray eyes that watch her lovingly, and realized that she loved him. She leaned and kiss him deeply. When they separated, he was grinning. She smiled sheepishly. What happened next, she didn't expect. He knelt and took out a little velvet box from his pocket. She stared at him in shock. Those six words had condemned them. _

"_Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" _

_Of course she had said yes. She loved him, for Merlin's sake! But she was just not ready to be a wife. He had arranged a simple Muggle wedding at the Ministry. She had to meet him there at 6 in the afternoon, after school. The truth is, she left him waiting. _

The sudden stop brought her back to reality. She looked through the window, King Cross Station, she was finally here. She grabbed her bag, her coat and left the compartment. When she stepped out of the train she regretted wearing a dress instead of pants, it was freezing. Unbelievable… it was almost spring and still seemed like winter. She left her bag on the floor and started putting her coat on when a shout startled her.

"Hermione!" She turned around to see Harry Potter waving and walking towards her. She let out a squeal and ran to meet him. She flung her arms around him and hugged him hard. Oh, how much she had missed him!

The boy, no, the man, had not changed at all. He was still a few inches taller than her and rather skinny, though he had built up muscles. She guessed it was because all the training as an Auror. But he still had that sincere smile that she loved, that made her feel safe.

"Oh Harry," she sighed. "I've missed you so much!"

He smiled tenderly. "I've missed you too, 'Mione." He broke up the hug and went to pick up her bag. "Let's go have something to eat so I can fill you up with all that has happened."

Hermione nodded vigorously. She was hungry, and she wanted to know how much had happened since she left. Harry approached her and gave her his arm, she smiled and took it.

"How's Ginny?" Hermione asked while they exited the station. London looked just as she remembered, a few new stores but aside from that, it was just her same old city.

"She's going crazy with all the last minute arrangements of the wedding." He made a face that had her laughing.

"I can imagine that," she giggled. "And I bet Molly is not helping." Harry cringed, and Hermione laughed harder.

"Well, I wanted something small and simple," he sighed. "But with Ginny being the Holly Head Harpies captain-"

"And you being Harry Potter, that just couldn't be." Hermione smiled.

"Well, it seems so." Harry smiled back to her friend. "I have to go pick up a package from Hagrid at the Leaky Cauldron, and then we can go have lunch."

"Perfect" she answered.

"So, how was it in Paris?"

And she told him everything. How amazing the city was. How she loved the food, especially the bread accompanied by coffee, which was now kind of her best friend after long nights of study. She described him the school, the classrooms, the labs, the amazing professors, the hospital where she did her practice.

"Good, it sounds amazing, just like the letters you wrote me." They had arrived to the Leaky Cauldron. "Did you make any friends?"

She was about to answer when a picture in a newspaper resting on a table called her attention. It was of a beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes, she seemed rather familiar. She was standing in front of a huge building and surrounded by children. It seemed she was in a charity event, she lowered her gaze to read the heading and her heart stopped.

"**Astoria Malfoy assists to the opening ceremony of St. Mungo's Orphanage"**

She staggered backwards, the words _Astoria Malfoy_, ringing in her head. She turned around to look at Harry, who was staring at her with a sad look on his eyes. He sighed and approached her, "Wait here." He waited for Tom to bring him the package. He had hoped he will be able to prepare her before telling her. She would've found it out sooner or later. He sighed. He knew that she still was in love with him, even though she was the one that didn't want to get married. She had been scared, but now it was too late.

_Malfoy! Astoria Malfoy… he had gotten married! She couldn't believe it… she thought… she was so stupid to think that he was still in love with her, that he was going to be waiting for her… but she was wrong…. _

When she went back to reality, she was sitting in a small restaurant. Harry was staring at her, worriedly.

She wanted to scream, to run away, to punch someone… but at the same time she felt as if all the energy had left her. A waitress approached them; Harry ordered two coffees and two sandwiches. No, she needed something stronger.

"Bring me a scotch," her voice sounded rough. "Please," she added. The waitress looked at her, then at Harry and nodded. She must look really bad.

She finally looked at Harry, who was staring at her intently.

"Why?" she mumbled. Why this had happened to her?

Harry sighed and opened his briefcase. He took out what looked like a newspaper and handed it to her. It was a Daily Prophet, dated January 8th, more than two months ago. She looked at her friend quizzically, he just pointed to the newspaper. She unfolded it and there it was, in front page a big picture of a newlywed couple.

"**The Malfoy's and the Greengrass's unite their families."**

"The wedding was about a month ago," Harry told her. "It was held at Malfoy Manor. They got engaged a month before."

The woman was wearing a beautiful wedding dress with sleeves; she was smiling radiantly which made her look more gorgeous than she was, if that was even possible. She was waving at the camera with the hand holding her bouquet, while the other was around her new husband´s arm. Hermione's eyes drifted to the man in the picture.

He was taller than she remembered. As always, he was wearing black dressing robes that contrasted with his pale skin. He was not muscular but he had broad shoulders and an athletic body because of playing Quidditch daily. Of course you couldn't see this on the picture, but she knew. She now focused on his face; he looked more mature now, no longer a boy. His features had hardened, he had a small tight smile but what killed her were his eyes. Those gray eyes that used to watch her lovingly were now emotionless.

The waitress brought the coffees and her drink. She drank it all at once. The liquor burned her throat, anesthetizing her senses.

"I didn't want to tell you by letter," Harry explained. She raised her eyes to meet her friend's. Harry looked calm, but she could see sadness in his eyes. "I knew you were coming soon, so I waited till now." She just nodded.

She stared at the picture for a while, a rush of emotions feeling her. Sadness, wonder, shame, envy, hatred, but most of all, regret. She could've been the woman in the picture. She could've been Mrs. Malfoy. She had to talk to him.

She looked at Harry. Her friend watch her intently and then sighed. He knew she was going to react like this, he knew she was going to go looking for him.

"Let's eat and then you can go," he mumbled, while the waitress brought them the food.

"Thank you, Harry," she said with a weak smile.

* * *

She sat in a bench from a small park in Wiltshire. It was a beautiful town, full of nice and quiet landscapes. She had been waiting for an hour when she saw him.

He liked to come here, to just seat and think. She always wondered how a boy that was such a jerk could like his own quiet moments.

When Draco Malfoy saw her, he didn't act surprised or shocked, as if he already knew she was coming. He kept walking toward the park until he finally reached her. He didn't even look at her; he just sat there, next to her. She waited, but it seemed he was not going to say anything. She didn't know how to start, so she just stared into the sky.

**_*Play the song*_**

For a while everything was silent. A couple with a little boy arrived to the park. They had brought their son to play. The woman laughed at the scene of her husband and child playing and laughing. Hermione couldn't help but feel a stab of pain in her heart.

"I heard that you settled down," she said softly, trying to contain the hurt in her voice. He didn't say anything. "You finally found someone else and you are married now."

She saw him nod through the corner of her eyes. She wanted to shout at him, to slap him, to cry, to tell him she still was in love with him. She inhaled deeply, she was being selfish. It had been her choice not to marry him and there was no turning back.

"I guess she gave you things I didn't give you," she sighed. _Like more time, and dedication, _she thought. She kept quiet, to see if he was going to say something. Nothing. "Why are you so quiet? It isn't like you to hold back your tongue."

He sighed. "I'm tired, Hermione," he said. She felt strange hearing her name coming out of his lips again. "I waited," he mumbled, "but now I'm moving on."

"I'm sorry to come without an invitation. But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it." She turned around to look straight into his face. "I had hoped you'd see my face,  
Aand that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over.."

He didn't want to look into those brown eyes again. It had hurt to forget them; it had been hard for him. Still was. But nonetheless, he slowly turned his face to look at her. Warm, that's how he felt when he stared into those eyes. The long eyelashes, the freckles, the small nose, her pink lips, everything was just as he remembered.

"It's impressive how time flies, don't you think?" he said, turning his gaze away from her.

"Yes," she said, "it seems like only yesterday we were having the time of our lives."

She saw how his expression had saddened when he looked at her. It hurt him too. She had to stop this. He was having his opportunity to be happy, to have a life, a family. A sad smile crept to her lips. She sighed.

"I hope someday I can find someone like you," she said sadly. He stared at her profile. He could see the sadness in her eyes, in her smile, hear it in her voice. But it had been her choice. "I wish nothing but the best for you too. I hope you'll have a good life with your wife-" her voice broke. She stood up, it was time to leave.

He stood up as well. He watched her as she started walking, but then she turned around abruptly. She walked swiftly until she was just a few inches away from him, he could smell her vanilla perfume.

"Don't forget me," she begged. They stared into each others eyes. Finally, he let out a small smile.

"I never will, Hermione Granger," he said softly, "you were the love of my life." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, turned around and left.

She touched her lips, still relishing their last kiss. Their farewell. Nothing would ever compare to what she had felt for him, but there weren't any more worries left. She had finally let go of him completely. Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

* * *

The wedding was just magnificent. Bill and Fleur had lent their garden at Shell Cottage to build up the tents for the ceremony and the party. The place was full of memories, some sad, but most of this entire place represented hope.

Ginny looked gorgeous in her wedding dress. It was empire cut with a waist band made of gold beads and thread. Her makeup was simple and her hair was up in a loose bun. Harry wore a simple black tuxedo, but he looked stunning, always smiling. They both looked radiant, they were finally getting married.

The bridesmaids' dresses were soft silver. Ginny wanted to change the color to gold, she thought Hermione would be uncomfortable with the color. The thing was, she didn't care. It was not her day to complain, it was her best friend's day to be happy and enjoy their moment.

The ceremony was beautiful. Everyone had come. All their classmates, their teachers, the Aurors, all the people that had fought with them and won the war. Including him. His mother had been crucial to them winning. Harry had grown fond of Narcissa Malfoy, he thought of how Lily had risked everything for him, as this woman had risked everything for her son. Hermione had seen Narcissa Malfoy arrived accompanied by her son and her daughter-in-law. As soon as the ceremony was over, he was gone. Only his wife and his mother had stayed. It was the best for both of them. They needed to finally close the chapter and heal their wounds.

The party was just as memorable. The Weasleys, as always, were the first ones to start dancing bringing everyone they could along with them. She found a quiet spot, in a table a little far away from the dance floor. She was drinking her first glass of champagne when a voice startled her.

"Hermione?" She raised her head to meet a pair of blue eyes. A pair of eyes that she knew quite well.

"Hello, Ron," she said smiling. He had become distant when he found out about her and Malfoy. She knew he was in love with her, as she had been of him. But he hadn't done anything, and she was tired of waiting. So when Malfoy appeared in her life, she had just fallen for him. But she had missed him; he was after all one of her best friends.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand for her. She looked at him and nodded.

"Yes, I'd love to."

They walked towards the dance floor and began slow dancing. He asked her questions about Paris, about her studies, about her work. He made her laugh like in the good all times. When he went quiet, they just stared into each others eyes.

"I've missed you, Hermione," he whispered. She let herself smile. She felt good in his arms, she felt safe, she felt warm, and she felt loved. It had been a while since she felt that way. Perhaps this was meant to be.

"I've missed you too, Ronald Weasley," she sighed and rested her head in his shoulder. She was finally home.

* * *

**So... how was it?**

**I really love happy endings... but this time it had to be a bad one for my favorite couple... sad...**

**Remember... a happy story is a story with reviews!**


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